The Texas Rangers finished up with a 93-69 (57.4%) record during the regular season, which had them in second place in the A.L West, 1 game behind the A’s. They then got knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Game by the Orioles. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts for the Rangers in 2012, in my opinion:

Team MVP: Adrian Beltre - Sure, Josh Hamilton had better overall numbers, but he faded down the stretch. Beltre was solid all the way through the 2012 season for the Rangers. He played in 156 games for the Rangers last year and he was 194 of 604 (.321 avg, .921 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 36 homers, 102 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

Best Pitcher: Matt Harrison - 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Matt Harrison was a horse for the Rangers last year, working 213 1/3 innings. He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 18-11 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Harrison was the true ace of the starting rotation in 2012.

Biggest Surprise: Robbie Ross - 23-year old rookie lefty reliever Robbie Ross came out of nowhere, to really give the bullpen a boost. He pitched in 58 games (0 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 6-0 with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He gave up 55 hits and 23 walks in 65 innings pitched while whiffing 47 batters, and those are some pretty impressive numbers.

Biggest Disappointment: Roy Oswalt: The Rangers signed 34-year old righty starting pitcher Roy Oswalt early in the season hoping that he would give the rotation a boost, but he was a huge bust. Oswalt pitched in 17 games (9 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 4-3 with a 5.80 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Oswalt gave up 79 hits (11 homers) and he walked 11 batters in 59 innings pitched while whiffing 59 batters. Oswalt still throws hard but it just didn’t look like his heart was into it in 2012.

The Texas Rangers lost the World Series, 4-3 to the Cardinals, but they still had a solid year. They beat the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers to get to the World Series. They won the A.L. West with a 96-66 record, which had them 10 games ahead of the Angels as they really pulled away from them in September. Here are the things that really stood out to me about the Rangers in the 2011 regular season:

TEAM MVP - The Rangers almost got rid of 35-year old righty swinging DH Michael Young last winter. They are lucky they came to their senses as Young was the best hitter on the team in 2011. Young played in 159 games for the Rangers last year and he was 213 for 631 (.338 avg, .854 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 11 homers, 106 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He proved in 2011, that he has plenty left in the gas tank.

BEST PITCHER - 30-year old lefty starting pitcher C.J. Wilson was even better in 2011 than he was in 2010. Wilson pitched in 34 games (all starts) for the Rangers this year and he was 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He only gave up 191 hits in 223 1/3 innings this year while whiffing 206 batters and walking 74, as he was impressive.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: The fact that 25-year old lefty Derek Holland and 26-year old lefty Matt Harrison started pitching up to their abilities. Holland pitched in 32 games (all starts) and he was 16-5 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Harrison pitched in 31 games (30 starts) for the Rangers this year and he was 14-9 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. The best is yet to come from these two guys.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: The Rangers dealt Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis to the Orioles in return for 36-year old righty reliever Koji Uehara. Uehara pitched in 22 games (0 starts) for the Rangers this year and he was 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. He was so awful in the playoffs that he was left off of the World Series’ roster.